You may earn a maximum of 3 points toward your final grade by doing the above and answering the questions and submitting them ontime (no later than Sunday, April 1 on or before 12:01am). Any worksheets submitted after the deadline will get a 0. You will be rewarded a maximum of 3 points if I judge your work to be above average. You will receive 2 points if your work is average, that is it may have a few minor mistakes in some of the answers but demonstrates correct grammar and indicates that some, but not all, of the answers, are acceptable and well expressed. You will earn only 1 point if you simply answered the questions and/or if you use poor grammar and if there are signs that you have not read the material on which your answers are based.
1. Describe the stasis in the play: where, when, who, what, etc. in a paragraph.
This play takes place in Summer of 1981 in New York City, and it chronicles the major events in the early years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic during the 80's. Ned Weeks visits Dr. Brookner, who specializes in helping gay men who are afflicted with a rare, immune-related disease that no one knows is HIV/AIDS yet, because it is taboo in the time to be gay and it hasn't been researched much. The play focuses around Ned and his pursuit to bring this unknown disease that affects gay men to light, and other people such as his lover Felix, brother Ben, and organization partner Bruce.
2. What is the intrusion?
The intrusion of the play is when Ned falls in love with New York Times writer Felix Turner. He goes to him to him because he's told he is gay also, and wants to talk to him so he can get vital information for a story they published a little before. Ned soon catches hard feelings for him, and after the relationship starts, this is when a lot of the play moves forward. It is especially noted when Ned asks his brother for help but that brings out his homophobic tendencies.
3. What is the unique factor?
The unique factor is that this is the day Ned decides to tell his story with the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 80's. It is also that he decides to purse more information and create an organization to empower and help gay men inflicted with this disease, so because of the fact that he wants to do this on the day that the story is told, it is what makes the unique factor in this play
4. What is the dramatic question that should be answered by the end of the play?
The dramatic questions that should be answered are:
Will the discrimination against gay men during this time period continue to devastate Ned as he still tries to help gay men with HIV/AIDS?
How has Felix's death changed Ned and how he feels responsible for not working hard enough to find a cure and spread the word so people can get help?
5. Provide an illustration of the two kinds of exposition that the play has in it.
The first kind of exposition is what Ned only knows: he desperately cares about his gay community who is already marginalized and discriminated against. The disease affecting them makes more than straight people makes him even more passionate about trying to help create a voice and awareness towards him and his group. He has an aggressive personality which causes conflicts with his co-workers but he is doing so because he cares a lot about trying to find a cure, get funding, or even figure out the name of this disease.
The second kind is what everyone knows: Dr. Brookner and fellow doctors/researchers have heard of this disease, which is actually found to be spreading into other countries and even other heterosexual couples. People who care are angry that this isn't gaining momentum largely because it is only killing off gay people. In the 80's discrimination was widespread, in private and public.
6. Identify the most theatrical moment in the play and of what importance it seems to be.
The most theatrical moment in my opinion is when Felix dies, because this marks the end of their love and who Ned actually cared about, especially because he cut off ties with his brother and finally felt like he had a place in society and love with Felix. Felix tried to get Ned and Ben to reconcile, and this shows he genuinely cared to get their brotherly love back together. When Felix dies, Ned blames himself so much and this scene really exemplifies one part of the many complicated consequences of isolating gay people and not helping them when they needed it the most to not die.
7. List some of the themes of the play.
Some themes in this play include discrimination, love, gay relationships, politics, and disease.
8. What does Ned want and what are some obstacles that stand in the way of his getting what he wants?
Ned wants to raise awareness and find a cure for this unidentified disease. His friends have died and gay men like him are dying at such a high rate. All he wants the most to get proper funding to make his organization spread the word about helping them. He tries to get help from Dr. Brookner, Ben, the mayor, and other mediums but a lot of obstacles stand in the way for him. The first one is when Ben doesn't want to help fund Ned. The second is that Dr. Brookner can't get government funding that she desperately needs to solve and name this disease. Another obstacle is that Ned's fiery and strong personality makes him ruin his chances to get funding from the mayor.
9. Describe some possible images in the play and how does the title help us understand the play.
Some images in the play include the love and bond between the characters. It is so passionate and real within their community that it is seen as an image. It related to the title because The Normal Heart can mean that gay men are trying so hard and want to be recognized as normal, even if the love in their heart is different than heterosexual peoples'.
10. Briefly define the family relationships that are examined in the play.
Family is defined in several ways in this play. The most evident way it is examined is the relationship between Ned and his brother Ben. Ben is a successful lawyer who is asked by Ned to aid him in creating an organization to focus on raising awareness about the HIV/AIDS epidemic (which is still unidentified during the time of the play) which is killing off such a specific group of people. Ben doesn't want to help Ned create this organization, and instead is more interested in buying a 2-million dollar house. Ned breaks off ties with his brother because of his homophobia and unwillingness to help him. Another family relationship examined is between Ned and Felix, and their love. They fall in love, and when Felix is dying from this disease, he tries to reconcile the brothers because he truly cares about Ned and family.
You will be rewarded a maximum of 3 points if I judge your work to be above average. You will receive 2 points if your work is average, that is it may have a few minor mistakes in some of the answers but demonstrates correct grammar and indicates that some, but not all, of the answers, are acceptable and well expressed. You will earn only 1 point if you simply answered the questions and/or if you use poor grammar and if there are signs that you have not read the material on which your answers are based.
1. Describe the stasis in the play: where, when, who, what, etc. in a paragraph.
This play takes place in Summer of 1981 in New York City, and it chronicles the major events in the early years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic during the 80's. Ned Weeks visits Dr. Brookner, who specializes in helping gay men who are afflicted with a rare, immune-related disease that no one knows is HIV/AIDS yet, because it is taboo in the time to be gay and it hasn't been researched much. The play focuses around Ned and his pursuit to bring this unknown disease that affects gay men to light, and other people such as his lover Felix, brother Ben, and organization partner Bruce.
2. What is the intrusion?
The intrusion of the play is when Ned falls in love with New York Times writer Felix Turner. He goes to him to him because he's told he is gay also, and wants to talk to him so he can get vital information for a story they published a little before. Ned soon catches hard feelings for him, and after the relationship starts, this is when a lot of the play moves forward. It is especially noted when Ned asks his brother for help but that brings out his homophobic tendencies.
3. What is the unique factor?
The unique factor is that this is the day Ned decides to tell his story with the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 80's. It is also that he decides to purse more information and create an organization to empower and help gay men inflicted with this disease, so because of the fact that he wants to do this on the day that the story is told, it is what makes the unique factor in this play
4. What is the dramatic question that should be answered by the end of the play?
The dramatic questions that should be answered are:
Will the discrimination against gay men during this time period continue to devastate Ned as he still tries to help gay men with HIV/AIDS?
How has Felix's death changed Ned and how he feels responsible for not working hard enough to find a cure and spread the word so people can get help?
5. Provide an illustration of the two kinds of exposition that the play has in it.
The first kind of exposition is what Ned only knows: he desperately cares about his gay community who is already marginalized and discriminated against. The disease affecting them makes more than straight people makes him even more passionate about trying to help create a voice and awareness towards him and his group. He has an aggressive personality which causes conflicts with his co-workers but he is doing so because he cares a lot about trying to find a cure, get funding, or even figure out the name of this disease.
The second kind is what everyone knows: Dr. Brookner and fellow doctors/researchers have heard of this disease, which is actually found to be spreading into other countries and even other heterosexual couples. People who care are angry that this isn't gaining momentum largely because it is only killing off gay people. In the 80's discrimination was widespread, in private and public.
6. Identify the most theatrical moment in the play and of what importance it seems to be.
The most theatrical moment in my opinion is when Felix dies, because this marks the end of their love and who Ned actually cared about, especially because he cut off ties with his brother and finally felt like he had a place in society and love with Felix. Felix tried to get Ned and Ben to reconcile, and this shows he genuinely cared to get their brotherly love back together. When Felix dies, Ned blames himself so much and this scene really exemplifies one part of the many complicated consequences of isolating gay people and not helping them when they needed it the most to not die.
7. List some of the themes of the play.
Some themes in this play include discrimination, love, gay relationships, politics, and disease.
8. What does Ned want and what are some obstacles that stand in the way of his getting what he wants?
Ned wants to raise awareness and find a cure for this unidentified disease. His friends have died and gay men like him are dying at such a high rate. All he wants the most to get proper funding to make his organization spread the word about helping them. He tries to get help from Dr. Brookner, Ben, the mayor, and other mediums but a lot of obstacles stand in the way for him. The first one is when Ben doesn't want to help fund Ned. The second is that Dr. Brookner can't get government funding that she desperately needs to solve and name this disease. Another obstacle is that Ned's fiery and strong personality makes him ruin his chances to get funding from the mayor.
9. Describe some possible images in the play and how does the title help us understand the play.
Some images in the play include the love and bond between the characters. It is so passionate and real within their community that it is seen as an image. It related to the title because The Normal Heart can mean that gay men are trying so hard and want to be recognized as normal, even if the love in their heart is different than heterosexual peoples'.
10. Briefly define the family relationships that are examined in the play.
Family is defined in several ways in this play. The most evident way it is examined is the relationship between Ned and his brother Ben. Ben is a successful lawyer who is asked by Ned to aid him in creating an organization to focus on raising awareness about the HIV/AIDS epidemic (which is still unidentified during the time of the play) which is killing off such a specific group of people. Ben doesn't want to help Ned create this organization, and instead is more interested in buying a 2-million dollar house. Ned breaks off ties with his brother because of his homophobia and unwillingness to help him. Another family relationship examined is between Ned and Felix, and their love. They fall in love, and when Felix is dying from this disease, he tries to reconcile the brothers because he truly cares about Ned and family.